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QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte gave the green-light signal to the proposal of the National Food Authority (NFA) Council to import 250,000 metric tons of rice.
According to Jonas Soriano, Deputy Executive Director of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, the move is to increase the current NFA rice inventory or buffer stock.
“Even with the sufficient supply of rice for the entire country to date, the NFA management is directed to start the procurement process of the approved standby authority to import 250,000 metric tons to increase the current NFA rice inventory or buffer stock,” Soriano said.
The 250,000 metric tons of rice that would be imported from Thailand and Vietnam is expected to be delivered in the country by May of this year.
“The mode of procurement of the 250,000 metric tons standby authority will be government-to-private importation or open tender,” he said.
Soriano said that the terms of reference will be the same as the previous government to private sector procurement of 2017 “to ensure immediate procurement of rice based on guidelines of procurement law.”
“The said rice import is set to arrive May of this year. This is to allow NFA to have enough buffer stock for the upcoming lean months of the year, in which the rice harvest if of the lowest,” Soriano said.
